Snowboarding craze cools as new designs make skiing easier

Snowboarding, the rage that transformed the nation's ski resorts and planted such terms as "jib," "face plant" and "biff" into America's lexicon, is cooling off partly because many older riders are shifting to new, easier-to-ride skis to preserve their aging bodies. »Read Full Article

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I, for one, am glad to hear that snowboard sales are decreasing. While it's not as bad out West and in Candada, around here with the tiny hills and limited runs, all it takes is a couple of boarders to side-slip down the run and scrape away the snow surface down to ice and destroy the run for everyone until it snows again or they can get the snow guns running.

When the boarders are carving turns, it's fine, but once they start sliding down the run on their edges, you might as well break out the ice skates or go home, because ice is all you're going to have left.

I agree, GreatApe. It isn't just here, either. We skied Park City last year and the resorts which allow snowboarding were nowhere near as enjoyable as Deer Valley and Alta, where snowboarding is not allowed. The runs are in better shape, skiers tend to be more courtesy on the mountain because most of them learn from taking proper lessons rather than learning snowboarding from "some dude"...and while there are injuries from skiing, they are far less frequent than all of the snowboarding woes.

My son insisted on snowboarding as a kid. I let him do it--begrudgingly--but he came to his senses in college and has been back on sticks ever since.

Oh boo-hoo. I've skied and snowboarded, and I've seen just as many rude skiers out there as there supposedly are snowboarders. I see tons of people taking "official" snowboarding lessons, so I don't know what you're taking about, dalemeyer. Further, there's a reason Deer Valley and Alta are the sole remaining resorts in the U.S. that don't allow snowboarding. All the other resorts realized they were losing too much revenue by not allowing it. I've skied and snowboarded frequently for more than 20 years, most of it snowboarding. I haven't had any sidelining injuries in that time.

The shaped skis really have made for a new experience on all variety of snow conditions. They literally make runs; once quite gnarly and unpleasant to ski, into a veritable playground. And, quite a bit more fun than navigating with a snowboard. The pipes and slope style disciplines have their counterparts in both snowboard and alpine. It has become an even playing field, once again. Keep your tips up.